Khaberni - A scientific study has shown that gestational diabetes slightly increases the risk of early life epilepsy in newborns. The study, conducted by a scientific team from several universities including British Columbia, McGill, and Toronto in Canada, showed that the fetus developing inside the womb of a mother with type 1 or type 2 diabetes faces increased risks of epilepsy by the age of three or less.
The study included more than two million children born between 2002 and 2018, with 8% of them exposed to diabetes prenatally.
The study, published in the specialized Pediatrics journal, revealed that the risks of epilepsy significantly increase in cases where the fetus is exposed to type 2 diabetes.
Researchers say the link between diabetes and epilepsy may be due to increased chances of complications during pregnancy such as premature births, cesarean deliveries, and pregnancy toxemia, as well as fluctuations in the mother's blood sugar levels and increased chances of infections.
Researchers, in statements carried by the medical research website "Health Day," emphasized that the study does not prove a causal relationship between maternal diabetes and epilepsy in the newborn, but it calls for early and close monitoring of babies born to mothers suffering from diabetes.
